JAMES McClean today became Albion's first summer signing, citing Tony Pulis' ambitions for the new season as the driving force in his decision to move to The Hawthorns.

The 26-year-old, who has penned a three-year deal with a 12-month option in the Club's favour, has joined for an undisclosed fee from Wigan Athletic.

The Republic of Ireland international winger will wear the No.14 shirt in the 2015/16 Barclays Premier League campaign.

He said: "I'm delighted. I've played in the Premier League before and not only am I back here, but I'm with a stable top flight club and one that wants to push on.

"Tony Pulis told me what his plans were, where I would fit in. It was all very positive. The Premier League is where any player wants to be.

"He also told me he has a great dressing room, it's been a stable club - but he's made it clear he wants to push this club on. I'm very ambitious. Everything about this move seems right for me - I'm very positive about it.

"Once the Albion came in this was a move I was keen to get done - this is a big club and a new chapter for me."

Head coach Pulis welcomed his first arrival of the close season.

"He's got Premier League experience from his time with Sunderland," said Pulis.

"James has had a couple of indifferent years with Wigan but he did well at Sunderland and we're very pleased to have him on board.

"I am absolutely confident that he can fulfil the potential to come back and be a big player for us.

"He's got pace, he's left-footed - so he gives us a good balance in the side - and he can score goals."

Derry-born McClean established himself with his hometown club between 2008-11, making his name in the League of Ireland.

His exploits for Derry City – where he proved himself to be a committed and energetic winger with a keen eye for assists and goals - alerted the attention of Sunderland and he joined the north-east club in August 2011.

The wide man was handed his Barclays Premier League debut off the bench in December of that year before making his first start for the Black Cats in a 1-0 victory over Manchester City in January 2012.

His maiden goals followed just days later and he duly went on to enjoy a memorable first season in English top-flight football, scooping Sunderland’s Young Player of the Year Award at the end of the 2011/12 campaign.

McClean’s impressive form for Sunderland – where he played alongside Craig Gardner and Stephane Sessegnon - saw him capped by the Republic of Ireland at senior level despite representing Northern Ireland’s Under-21 side.

A whirlwind 12 months was rounded off by his inclusion in Giovanni Trapattoni’s Euro 2012 squad, where he made one substitute appearance as the Republic of Ireland bowed out in the group stages.

McClean made 41 appearances for Sunderland in the 12/13 season, racking up a total of 70 outings and 11 goals before signing for Wigan in the summer of 2013.

Lining up in the same squad as Callum McManaman, he made his bow in the FA Community Shield final at Wembley where the Latics went down 2-0 to Manchester United.

In two seasons at the DW Stadium, McClean made 86 appearances for Wigan and scored 10 goals, finishing last term as top goalscorer and walking away with the club’s Player of the Year Award as the Lancashire outfit suffered relegation to League One.

In total, McClean has been capped 30 times by Ireland – most recently in this month’s matches against England and Scotland - and hit the net four times.

NORWICH City are delighted to have secured the signing of Hull City winger Robbie Brady for an undisclosed fee.

Brady has agreed a three-year deal at Carrow Road and becomes Alex Neil’s third recruit of the summer transfer window following the arrivals of Graham Dorrans and Youssouf Mulumbu.

The 23-year-old played 43 times in the Premier League in the last two seasons, and comes with international pedigree having been capped 14 times by the Republic of Ireland.

After securing his services, Neil said: “I’m really pleased to sign Robbie. As everyone’s aware, we’ve been chasing him for quite a while.

“He’ll be an absolutely perfect fit for us. Hopefully he can go on and show everything that we think he’s capable of.

“He’s dynamic, he’s got good energy to get up and down the pitch, and he’s got a fantastic left foot which makes him a real danger at set-pieces. He’s got a lot of things in his locker.

“It gives us good competition down the left side. He’s got good pedigree and he’s still young so he’s got his best days ahead of him, so we’re just really happy that we’ve managed to get it over the line.”

Brady came through the youth ranks at Manchester United, prior to spending the duration of the 2011-12 season on loan to Hull.

He returned on a similar deal the following campaign, before signing permanently for Steve Bruce’s side in January 2013.

In total, Brady made 124 appearances for Hull in all competitions, scoring 14 goals – including a brace in their Europa League qualifier against Belgian outfit KSC Lokeren last August.

He will go straight into Neil’s squad for Saturday’s final warm-up game against Brentford ahead of the Canaries’ Premier League curtain-raiser against Crystal Palace on August 8.

On other prospective deals, Neil added: “We won’t be rushed. Any incomings have got to be right for the football club and right for the group.

“We want to make sure we do everything right and that we cover all bases, and that’s why this deal took a bit of time, but it’s important that we cover all that so we’re sure we make the right choices.

“We’ve done everything diligently up to this point and that will continue."

Steven Caulker has joined Southampton on loan for the 2015/16 season, the club is delighted to confirm.The defender moves from Queens Park Rangers, who he joined last summer after spells with Swansea and Cardiff.

23-year-old Caulker will join up with the squad today, and has been allocated the number 26 shirt.

Executive Director of Football Les Reed said of the signing: “We have tracked Steven for a number of years, and so we are very happy to have finally brought him to the club.

“Although still young, he has played several seasons in the top flight, as well as representing England at senior level and featuring for Great Britain at the 2012 Olympic Games.

“Steven will offer us an excellent defensive option – especially with Florin Gardos ruled out after his knee operation.

“He is a player with a good blend of both experience and potential who is determined to grow, to develop and to prove himself during his time with the club.”

Caulker added: “I’m very pleased and very excited. This club has done fantastically well, especially over the last two years.

“To now join this club and to be a part of it for this year is something I’ve proud of.

“As soon as I got the phone call to say a fee was agreed with Southampton, I was delighted to get the opportunity to come and play under a great manager.

“This club is an ambitious one, so to be part of this is a great opportunity – it’s a chance for me to prove myself. I’m very excited for the season ahead.”

JAMES Chester has today completed his move to The Hawthorns from Hull City.

The 26-year-old has signed a four-year deal for an undisclosed fee after undergoing a medical and agreeing personal terms at Albion's training ground on Tuesday.

Wales international Chester, a former Manchester United player, will wear the No.4 shirt during the 2015/16 Barclays Premier League season.

Traditionally a centre-half, Chester can play across the back four. He was due to train with his new team-mates for the first time today.

Baggies head coach Tony Pulis cited a glowing reference from Hull boss Steve Bruce, as well as staff close to the Welsh national team.

Pulis said: "James did very well for Hull City. I've had a good chat with him and he's the type of player I like.

"He's young, a strong character, a good defender, he has good feet and he has the Manchester United stamp all over him, just like (Stoke City's) Ryan Shawcross and Darren Fletcher. They're wonderful lads and I'm told James is as well.

"From the people I spoke to, like Steve Bruce and people in the Welsh party...they speak very highly of him.

"Steve especially gave him a great mention and there is no better accolade than Steve Bruce giving a defender a good drum roll.

"James is a good player who can play anywhere along the back line and I'm confident he will get better with age.“

On transfers in general, Pulis continued: "We're trying to bring in others, but they have to be the right players.

"We're very pleased to have James on board and hopefully we can work hard to get more in."

Chester, born in Warrington, started his career at Old Trafford and made one first-team appearance.

The defender came off the bench in the club’s League Cup semi-final second leg success over Derby in January 2009, lining up alongside new Baggies team-mates Ben Foster and Darren Fletcher.

Chester went on to enjoy a brief loan period at Peterborough the following month and a subsequent spell at Plymouth in 2009/10.

He spent the first half of the 2010/11 campaign at Carlisle, where he made 24 appearances and scored four goals - his first in professional football.

Chester duly attracted the attention of Championship club Hull in January 2011 and completed a permanent move to the KC Stadium.

He went on to become a regular fixture in the Tigers’ first team over the next two-and-a-half seasons, missing just a handful of league games, as the Humberside outfit secured promotion to the Premier League in 2012/13.

The player made his top-flight debut in August 2013 and ended the campaign with an FA Cup runners-up medal to his name - his well-taken goal opening the scoring against Arsenal at Wembley before an agonising 3-2 extra-time defeat.

He went on to make his debut for Wales in June 2014, starting a 2-0 defeat in Holland. He has made six international appearances to date.

Chester got another season of Premier League experience under his belt last term, along with a taste of the Europa League, as the Tigers suffered relegation back to the Championship.

He made a total of 171 appearances for Hull, finding the net eight times.

Newcastle United have announced the signing of Anderlecht defender Chancel Mbemba after the club received a Governing Body Endorsement (GBE) for the player at an FA hearing on Thursday (30th July).

The deal is subject to Mbemba receiving the appropriate visa.

Mbemba becomes Newcastle United's third signing of the summer, after completing the switch from Anderlecht. The 20-year-old DR Congo international defender has agreed a five-year deal on Tyneside.

Mbemba is now required to apply for his visa overseas, with the hope that he is then able to return to join his new teammates in Newcastle midweek.

Born in Kinshasa, Mbemba played youth football for a number of local sides in his homeland before joining Belgian giants Anderlecht in 2011.

After rising through the ranks at the Constant Vanden Stock Stadium, he became a first-team regular and played a key role in Anderlecht being crowned Belgian Pro League champions in 2014, as well as lifting back-to-back Belgian Super Cups in 2013 and 2014.

He played in all six of Anderlecht's group stage games in the Champions League last season, scoring both goals in their 2-0 home win over Galatasaray in November 2014.

Speaking of his move, Mbemba said: "I'm very, very happy to be here. This is the biggest league in the world and I'm very proud to wear the shirt for this team and play in this league.

"I'm going to do everything I can to help make the supporters happy, to help out my teammates and to bring something extra to the team.

"I know the team very well. I've watched the Premier League and I know this is a massive team with big players and with a great coach.

"I've come here to Newcastle United because it's a very good move in my career to play for such a famous club. I am excited for the season ahead."

Newcastle United head coach Steve McClaren added: "We are delighted that Chancel is now a Newcastle United player after it took a little longer than we had hoped.

"He is a proven performer at the highest level, he's powerful, combative and will add quality to our defence. He also has an eye for goal which is an extra asset for us.

"We will get him integrated into the squad quickly once he is with us. Unfortunately, due to the time it takes to process the visa application that won't be in time for our final friendly on Saturday, but our focus will be to make sure he will be ready and available as soon as possible.

"I'm sure our supporters will take to him very quickly. He's the sort of player fans will enjoy watching."

NORWICH City have agreed a deal to sign Liverpool defender Andre Wisdom on loan until the end of the 2015-16 Barclays Premier League campaign.

The 22-year-old, who recently penned a new long-term deal at Anfield, made 24 top-flight appearances while on loan to West Bromwich Albion last season.

Joining Liverpool as a 14-year-old, the former Bradford City youth player enjoyed a memorable senior Reds debut by netting in a 5-3 Europa League victory over Swiss outfit Young Boys in September 2012 - making his league debut at Carrow Road nine days later.

He spent the majority of 2013-14 on loan to Derby County, featuring 34 times in the Sky Bet Championship as the Rams reached the play-off final before losing out to Queens Park Rangers.

Wisdom has also represented – and captained – the England youth team at various levels, forming part of the side which won the UEFA European Under-17 Championship.

To date, the Leeds-born defender has appeared 22 times for Liverpool in all competitions, scoring once.

Speaking about the signing of Wisdom, City boss Alex Neil told canaries.co.uk: “I’m delighted as Andre fits our profile in terms of getting hungry players in who want to make their way in the game.

“He’s also had Premier League experience with a few different clubs, so we’re happy to get it over the line. It will add to the competition for places as he’s a flexible player.

“In the past he’s played centre-back and right-back. Having added competition to the left-hand side with Robbie Brady, it was important to add something to the right side as well.

Manchester United legend Peter Schmeichel is expecting Louis van Gaal to lead his former club to glory after the manager steered their return to the top four of the Barclays Premier League last season.

Van Gaal was appointed last summer and recovered from a poor start, with 13 points in their opening 10 matches, to finish fourth in the BPL. Schmeichel, the former United goalkeeper who played an integral role in five of their Barclays Premier League titles, says the club should be aiming for more silverware in 2015/16 thanks to the transformation under Van Gaal.

"I like what Louis van Gaal has done for this one year," Schmeichel said. “What was needed was to stop the rot first of all, then get us into the top four and get us a chance of Champions League football. Now, in his second year, we can begin to expect things of him, in terms of how the club is developing."

United last won the Barclays Premier League in 2012/13, their 13th BPL crown, but fell to seventh in 2013/14 in their first season after the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson. However, the guidance of Van Gaal and the summer signings of #~ Schweinsteiger from Bayern Munich, Southampton's Morgan Schneiderlin, Memphis Depay from PSV Eindhoven, Argentina goalkeeper Sergio Romero and Italy defender Matteo Darmian have enhanced hopes of returning United to the success of the Ferguson era.

That level of expectation is part-and-parcel of life at Old Trafford, believes Schmeichel.

"When you play for Manchester United, if you're a manager for Manchester United, you always have to understand how special the club is and why so many people support them," said Schmeichel during the filming of a new TV commercial for Carlsberg, the official beer of the Premier League, for the 2015/16 season. "Last season, it was a different job. Van Gaal had to stop the team from going towards the middle of the table, turn it around and get it into the top four.

"That was the objective and that was achieved. Now we have to look at the style of play, the players signed, and the nature of winning. Now we have to expect more. Van Gaal says he's one of the best in the world. He's manager of what I consider to be the best football club in the world. Now he has to prove it."

In only two seasons with Schmeichel in goal did United not win the Barclays Premier League title, when Blackburn Rovers (1994/95) and Arsenal (1997/98) pipped them. The Dane credited this to the winning mentality instilled by Ferguson, despite the Scot having to wait seven years for his first league title after taking over in 1986.

"The championship team was built over six or seven years, and once you got it right, you could develop the next couple of teams as well," Schmeichel said. "We were all good players. Every player was good and every position was covered. If you don't have that you win nothing."

Were Van Gaal to bring success to Old Trafford once more, it could signal the start of another golden era, with Schmeichel believing silverware can lead to a virtuous circle of success.

"Once you start winning it breeds the winning mentality," he said. "Fergie came in 1986, didn't win anything for three-and-a-half years, even though he has a winning mentality.

"It's very difficult to put that on to your players when you haven't won anything. When you start winning you can start saying, 'We did that, now you need to win that.' It was like that with Fergie. He never let you sit there on your laurels. He was always looking for the next trophy.

"We all hope van Gaal can be there for a number of years. With that, you have to expect trophies. It's very simple."

ALBION have completed the signing of Rickie Lambert from Liverpool for an undisclosed fee.

The England international has penned a two-year deal and goes straight into the squad for the tonight's game at Bristol Rovers.

Lambert underwent a medical this morning and will travel to the Memorial Stadium with a view to facing his former club.

He has been handed the No.17 shirt for the 2015/16 Barclays Premier League campaign.

Tony Pulis spoke of the influence Lambert can bring to his squad.

"Rickie is a good, strong, solid player who is a great character, good in the dressing room and good on the pitch," said the Albion head coach.

"We are very pleased to have him on board.

"He's a player of great pedigree and we look forward to integrating him into our squad."

Lambert, born in Kirkby, started his career in Liverpool’s Academy before making his professional debut for Blackpool in 1999 aged 17.

He was offered a contract with Macclesfield Town towards the end of the 2000/01 campaign, registering his first professional goals for the club, before successful moves to fellow lower league sides Stockport County and Rochdale.

Bristol Rovers beckoned in 2006 and the experienced striker spent three years at the Memorial Stadium, finding the net 59 times in 155 appearances.

His scoring exploits alerted Southampton, who pounced to snap up his services in the summer of 2009.

Lambert proved to be prolific at St Mary’s as he helped spearhead Saints from League One to the Premier League, scoring a stunning 88 goals in just three seasons.

His impressive record and accolades did not dry up once plying his trade in England’s top flight, bagging 15 times in 2012/13.

Lambert’s eye for goal and all-round play led to an international debut with England in August 2013, and a memorable one at that, stepping off the bench to head home with his first touch of the ball in a 3-2 victory over Scotland at Wembley.

Two more goals for the Three Lions followed in that campaign, plus a further 14 for Southampton, and he was duly rewarded with a place in England’s World Cup squad in Brazil, appearing as a late substitute in the group stage defeat to Uruguay.

Lambert’s exploits clinched a move to boyhood club Liverpool last summer, however he was used sparingly at Anfield in 2014/15 and made just seven league starts.

The 21-year-old received a pass from Theo Walcott and cut inside Chelsea defender Cesar Azpilicueta before firing an unstoppable shot into the top corner of Thibaut Courtois' goal.

It was the first time in 14 attempts that Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger had got the better of Chelsea coach Jose Mourinho and the result offered hope to Chelsea's title rivals hat the champions might not have such an easy time this year.

Chelsea won the title in May with a commanding lead of eight points over second-placed Manchester City and they are the bookies' favourites to retain the trophy in the new season which kicks off on Saturday.

Arsenal dominated the first half and were rewarded with Oxlade-Chamberlain's superb goal.

Chelsea sought to up their sluggish tempo in the second half, bringing on new loan signing Radamael Falcao for striker Loic Remy and replacing Ramires with Brazilian compatriot Oscar.

Goalkeeper Petr Cech, who made nearly 500 appearances for Chelsea before signing for Arsenal and received a rousing reception from both sets of fans before the game, saved impressively from an Oscar free kick in the 69th minute.

Chelsea pressed for an equaliser but looked short of menace in front of goal with Spain striker Diego Costa sidelined by injury.

Belgium winger Eden Hazard blazed over from an angle half way through the second half, an uncharacteristic miss for the player voted England's player of the year last season.

Arsenal rested key players including striker Alexis Sanchez who returned to training later than most of his team mates after helping Chile to win Latin America's Copa America.

England's Premier League is undoubtedly one of the most exciting in world football but as it embarks on its 24th season on Aug. 8 is it also becoming one of the most predictable?

Last term only Newcastle United and Everton, both of whom dropped down the table, moved more than four places either way, while two of the three promoted clubs went straight back down.

Clubs outside the top six will aim to avoid relegation which will be more important than ever with a lucrative three-year domestic television deal, worth over five billion pounds ($7.77 billion), starting in 12 months' time.

Overseas TV rights will add half as much again, making the struggle to stay up intense.

While the usual suspects are expected to contest the title, however, none of them have managed to win it for two years in a row since Manchester United completed a hat-trick in 2009 under Alex Ferguson.

Since the Scot retired in 2013, the Old Trafford club have not been in serious contention to add to their record 20 championships, finishing seventh and fourth.

They have spent vast amounts of money in that time, with only mixed success, and during the close season Louis Van Gaal has continued to revamp his squad.

Germany captain #~ Schweinsteiger from Bayern Munich and Southampton's Frenchman Morgan Schneiderlin will improve the midfield options and allow the Dutchman to use Wayne Rooney in his best position, further forward.

By the end of the season Rooney should have overtaken Bobby Charlton's records as record scorer for England and United.

He will be more interested in whether United have regained the title from Chelsea, who led the table from the third match of last season and finished eight points clear of the previous season's champions Manchester City.

On the day in May that Jose Mourinho's side made sure they could not be caught, television * and former United defender Gary Neville told viewers, "the rest are absolutely miles behind this Chelsea team".

United, City, Arsenal and Liverpool will all believe they have reduced the gap after a transfer window in which the champions have so far been comparatively quiet.

Other than bringing in Asmir Begovic from Stoke to replace Petr Cech as second-choice goalkeeper, Mourinho's only notable signing has been Colombia striker Radamel Falcao, who failed to live up to his reputation at United last season.

He impressed Chelsea's captain John Terry when scoring a hat-trick against the Lond club for Atletico Madrid in the 2012 UEFA Super Cup final and, like United, they have now taken him on loan from Monaco, while hoping for a better return.

City scored 10 goals more than Chelsea last season and hope to outscore them again after paying a fee that could rise to 49 million pounds ($76.16 million) for England's Raheem Sterling.

Their total of 83 goals was 31 more than Liverpool, which explains why Brendan Rodgers made forwards his priority and signed Christian Benteke from Aston Villa, Hoffenheim's Brazil striker Roberto Firmino and Danny Ings from relegated Burnley.

Arsenal's Arsene Wenger has felt less need to strengthen a squad that retained the FA Cup and returned to the top three, although experienced former Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech will doubtless save them plenty of points.

Newcomers Watford, Bournemouth and Norwich City will inevitably be tipped as relegation fodder but Villa, Sunderland and Leicester City, all heavily involved in the scrap to avoid the drop last term, cannot expect much more than mere survival.

Everton's most expensive pre-season signing, Gerard Deulofeu, is expected to miss the opening Premier League game against Watford this weekend, manager Roberto Martinez said on Monday.

The 21-year-old, who spent the 2013-14 season on loan from Barcelona, suffered a * injury in the Asia Trophy in Singapore a fortnight ago.

"He's already working at 60 percent so I don't expect him to be too far away," Martinez told reporters.

"Maybe the weekend will be too early for him."

Everton also have doubts about another winger, Kevin Mirallas, and the England defender John Stones for Saturday's opener after both were injured in Sunday's testimonial match for former striker Duncan Ferguson against Villareal.

Mirallas will be assessed by medical staff tomorrow.

The 21-year-old has had problems with * injuries before, missing two months of his loan season at Goodison after being stretchered off at home to Fulham in December.

Crystal Palace are delighted to announce the signing of Connor Wickham from Sunderland, with the striker signing a five year deal for an undisclosed fee.

The 22-year-old arrives from the Black Cats having scored 18 goals over the past two seasons and played a starring role in their successful quest to stay in the Premier League during that time.

He has also starred for England at youth level, helping the Three Lions win the UEFA European Under-17 Championships in 2010 where he was also named Player of the Tournament, and has also appeared 17 times for the under-21s, scoring six goals.

“I spoke to the gaffer last week and he said all the right things about the club and I’ve got friends here who also told me some very good things,” he said.

“I looked at the team before I arrived here and the signings that have been brought in, and the potential to score goals and the chances that could be created was a massive influence. Hopefully I can add to that talent and make the squad stronger.

“I think I needed the fresh start, I had four years up north and it’s been a bit stop-start. Now I’ve come back home and I can settle down and see my family a bit more and hopefully let my football do the talking.”

Wickham began his professional career at Ipswich Town where he made his debut aged just 16 years and 11 days and became the Tractor Boys’ youngest ever player. He went on to gradually establish himself in their side and in 2010/11 he hit nine goals in 37 league appearances which led to him being named the Championship Young Player of the Year.

That form earned him his move to Wearside for a fee of £8 million and he would go on to play 91 times for Sunderland, scoring 15 goals - including five in three games to help his side miraculously avoid relegation at the end of the 2013/14 season.

He has also spent time on loan at Sheffield Wednesday and Leeds United during his time with Sunderland, scoring eight times in 11 outings for the Owls before returning to Sunderland.

Leicester City Football Club is delighted to announce the signing of N’Golo Kanté from French Ligue 1 side Caen on a four-year deal.

The 24-year-old Frenchman arrives for an undisclosed fee, subject to international clearance and approval from the Premier League and the Football Association, adding fierce competition to the Club’s central midfield ranks ahead of the Barclays Premier League opener against Sunderland on 8 August.

N’Golo, who will wear the No.14 shirt, is City’s fourth new signing of the summer after the arrivals of Robert Huth, Christian Fuchs and Shinji Okazaki and is the first under new manager Claudio Ranieri.

The Foxes beat off firm competition to secure the signature of Kanté, whose tenacious and tough tackling approach has seen him catch the eye of a number of teams across Europe.

Born in Paris in 1991, Kanté’s footballing career began with US Boulogne, where he came through the youth ranks to make his first team debut against AS Monaco in May 2012.

His impressive performances for US Boulogne saw Caen swoop for his talents in 2013. That faith was quickly rewarded as Kanté played 38 games en route to a promotion from the French Ligue 2 in the 2013/14 campaign.

A further 37 appearances and two goals in 2014/15 underlined his potential and, in the fast-paced and competitive environment of the Premier League, the Frenchman’s energetic playing style is widely tipped to make him a success in England.

Defender Yohan Benalouane has completed a move to Leicester City on a four-year deal subject to international clearance and Premier League and FA approval.

The 28-year-old centre back arrives from Serie A side Atalanta for an undisclosed fee and will add some healthy competition to Claudio Ranieri’s defensive line ahead of Saturday’s Barclays Premier League opener against Sunderland. He will wear the no.29 shirt.

Standing at 6ft 2ins, Benalouane is blessed with both pace and power alongside a composure on the ball that should make him a good fit for the challenges of Premier League football.

A former France Under-21 international, Yohan has since opted to represent Tunisia at international level and arrives with an impressive track record at club level in both Italy and France.

After coming through the ranks at French side Saint-Etienne, Benalouane’s performances in Ligue 1 earned him a move to Italy in 2010, when he signed for newly promoted Cesena in Serie A.

Two solid seasons for the Italian outfit earned him another move to Parma, initially on loan in the summer of 2012. After helping lift his team to a 10th placed finish in 2012/13, he joined Atalanta on loan in January 2014 before making that deal permanent at the end of the season.

Last term Benalouane’s performances at the heart of Atalanta’s defence provided a solid foundation for a campaign that saw the Italian side amass 37 point total en route to securing Serie A survival in impressive fashion.

AFC Bournemouth have signed Ivory Coast international Max Gradel, subject to international clearance and Premier League approval, from St Etienne for an undisclosed fee.Gradel returns to the Cherries seven years on from his last appearance for the club, where he spent two separate loan spells in the 2007/08 season.

The 27-year-old has put pen to paper on a four-year contract after passing a medical to become the seventh summer signing at Vitality Stadium.

During his stay from former parent club Leicester City, he worked with Eddie Howe, who was then part of Kevin Bond’s coaching staff.

The winger went on to play for Leeds United before moving to St Etienne in 2011. He helped the side finish fifth in Ligue 1 last term and subsequently qualify for the Europa League.

Gradel scored 17 goals in 23 starts in the 2014/15 season in one of his best campaigns to date.

Crystal Palace have signed Mali international attacker Bakary Sako on a free transfer.

The former Wolverhampton Wanderers man has penned a three year deal at Selhurst Park having left the Molineux side in the summer following the expiration of his contract, having scored 36 goals in 118 appearances in the Midlands.

On his new move, Sako said: "I talked to some clubs but when I met Alan [Pardew] I felt a good feeling between him and me and that's why I chose Palace.

"He plays attacking, attractive football so it should be good to play here and score some goals, that's why I came to join him.

"I've been doing my own pre-season training because Wolves gave me a programme before I left, and my cousin has a small academy so we trained together to keep my fitness levels up.

"I think I'm fit now but it's in the manager's hands to pick me so we'll see how my fitness is."

I want to play lots of games, score some goals and get some assists and enjoy myself. I'm confident about stepping up to the premier League so we'll see how it goes."

Born in France, the 27-year-old got his break in the professional game with Chateauroux in Ligue 2 in 2006 before earning a move to Saint-Etienne three years later, where he would become a regular in their side until Wolves snapped him up for £4 million in August 2012.

He would play a crucial role in the club's promotion from League One by finishing as joint top scorer and was named in the Team of the Year. His success continued in the Championship, once again finishing as Wolves' top scorer with 16 goals and named in the division's seasonal line-up before his contract expired.

Having represented both Mali and France at youth level, he opted to play for the former at full level and has 14 caps for the side also known as the Eagles, scoring six goals, and represented them in the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations.

Manchester City are brimming with optimism with coach Manuel Pellegrini "absolutely sure" of winning the Premier League title back this season and midfielder David Silva eyeing Champions League glory.

City, who conceded four goals in both their defeats against Real Madrid and Stuttgart in pre-season friendlies, finished eight points behind champions Chelsea in the Premier League last season.

"I am absolutely sure that we are going to have a very successful season. We must bring back the title here to our fans," the 61-year-old was quoted as saying by Sky Sports.

"We are sure, as I have just said, that we are going to bring it back. We had a good pre-season."

With the sale of Stefan Jovetic to Inter Milan and Edin Dzeko being strongly linked with a move to Roma, City is poised to start the season with only two frontline strikers in Sergio Aguero and Wilfried Bony.

"We have Kelechi (Iheanacho), that is a young player who I think must find a place here in our squad," the Chilean manager added.

"(Raheem) Sterling can also play in front. I think we are going to bring in other players but not in that position."

City, who won the Premier League title in a close finish in 2013-14, kick off their campaign with a trip to West Bromwich Albion on Monday night.

Spain international David Silva feels City have earned respect with their success in England in the past few years and with the recent additions to the squad the Manchester club can target European glory.

"We are just missing that step of winning the Champions League, but doing that will help us grow even more," the 29-year-old midfielder, told the Daily Telegraph in an interview.

"I would see it as a failure (if I don't win the Champions League at City). It is the one thing I want and one day I hope to win it."

City crashed out in the last 16 stage of the Champions League in the past two seasons after being paired against Barcelona.

"It's difficult playing against big teams like Barcelona, Bayern. But why? I cannot tell you," added Silva, who has one World Cup and two European Championship winners' medals with the national team.

"But with good, new players, for sure we will have an opportunity to be there fighting and maybe able to do it."

Silva, who joined City in 2010 from Valencia, has set a personal target of scoring more goals this season.

"I want to be important in the team and win titles in all competitions," he added. "It is always in my mind to become better and I can improve this year by scoring more goals."

The mantra is still very much "safety first" for Aston Villa in Tim Sherwood's first full season in charge of the West Midlands club with the windfall from the Premier League's bumper television rights deal set to kick in from 2016.

Villa escaped relegation by the skin of their teeth last season, finishing 17th on 38 points -- their worst performance since 1994-95 -- and Sherwood believes avoiding the drop rather than trying to push for major honours will continue to be the club's top priority in the new season.

"We need to stay in the league obviously," said the manager, who lost two key players in Christian Benteke and Fabian Delph during the summer transfers.

"We know it's a tough ride ahead."

The clubs that avoid relegation this season will benefit from the record television rights deal that comes into effect from next season.

The 5.14 billion pounds agreement with Sky and BT Sports will boost even the lowest-ranked club's income by millions of pounds.

Sherwood has brought in nine players during the summer to plug the gaps in his squad, including former England and Manchester City defender Micah Richards and Ghana striker Jordan Ayew from French club Lorient.

"An improvement on last year is what we're looking for," Sherwood was quoted as saying by the Bournemouth Echo.

"It won't be hard to improve because we were the worst team left in the league. We need to consolidate and improve again."

Villa reached the final of the FA Cup last season where they lost to Arsenal, and while Sherwood feels "another couple of appearances at Wembley would be nice", the manager is wary of setting too many targets.

"There's a balance that we need to get. We've signed a lot of new players and lost some very important players to our team," the 46-year-old Sherwood added.

"It was a needs-must, we needed to bring in and hopefully we can get them to gel."

Stoke City captain Ryan Shawcross will be out of action for at least two months after a back operation scheduled for next week, the Premier League club said on Thursday.

The 27-year-old central defender, signed from Manchester United in 2008, has suffered a recurrence of a back problem that troubled him last season and the club said on their website (www.stokecityfc.com) that surgery was the only solution.

Stoke hoped rest would avoid the need for an operation but, while that initially seemed the case, the harder Shawcross pushed himself in pre-season the more discomfort he felt.

Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Hugo Lloris is likely to miss the Premier League opener against Manchester United on Saturday as the France international has not yet fully recovered from a fractured wrist, manager Mauricio Pochettino said.

The 28-year-old Lloris, who captains both Tottenham and France, picked up the injury during the close season. He joined Spurs from Lyon for 8 million pounds in 2012.

Lloris returned from injury to play 35 minutes during Wednesday's 2-0 win over AC Milan, but Pochettino warned that he might not be ready for a full game.

"He played 35 minutes and it was fantastic to see," Argentine Pochettino was quoted as saying by the London Evening Standard.

"It was very positive today to assess him, but maybe he is not ready for 90 minutes.

"But it's very important he is ready to come back."

Lloris made 110 saves and kept eight clean sheets in the Premier League last season as Spurs finished fifth.

France international Yann M’Vila has joined Sunderland AFC on a season-long loan from Russian club FC Rubin Kazan.The 25-year-old becomes the fifth summer addition to **** Advocaat’s squad, who kick-off their Barclays Premier League campaign this weekend against Leicester City.Speaking about the player, Sunderland AFC’s sporting director Lee Congerton said: “Yann is a player who is highly regarded by a number of the elite clubs across Europe, playing for his national team of France from a young age.“The Premier League presents a fresh challenge for him, its one I know he is relishing and we are delighted to welcome him to the club.”M’Vila added: “I’m very happy to be a Sunderland player. I had a very good feeling training with the team; every player welcomed me and the feeling was very good with them so I’m excited for the start of the season.“I’ve also wanted to play in the Barclays Premier League for a long time so I’m very happy to be here.”The club has also agreed a deal which gives Sunderland the option of making the transfer permanent after the completion of the loan period.The midfielder, who has been capped 22 times by France, spent last season on loan at Italian giants Internazionale. He began his career with French Ligue 1 club Rennes, progressing into the first team and making over 120 appearances for the club.M’Vila will now link up with fellow new signings Jeremain Lens, Younes Kaboul,Sebastian Coates and Adam Matthews.

An opening fixture at Stoke City, where Liverpool were humiliated 6-1 at the end of last season, is the best possible place to start the new campaign, manager Brendan Rodgers said on Friday.

He takes his team there on Sunday having lost captain Steven Gerrard and England international Raheem Sterling, but believing the new-look squad can make amends for one of the worst days in the club's recent history.

"For me it was the perfect fixture for us first up," Rodgers told reporters at Liverpool's Melwood training ground.

"I was happy that came out. We will certainly be better than we were last season.

"We lacked in everything that day. We all knew it was unacceptable and whatever stick we got for it was deserved."

Some of the criticism that followed was from supporters claiming that sixth place after finishing as runners-up the previous year meant Rodgers should be sacked.

Instead the American owners kept faith with him and changes were made to his coaching staff, two of whom were sacked.

"It has galvanised the players with three coaches coming in," Rodgers said.

"You can't perform like we did it the end of last season if you want to be a top club. There is no difference now in terms of pressure. This has always been a club under huge scrutiny.

"Our first objective is to arrive in the top four. We'll look to put up a greater fight than last season. We've had a very good pre-season and I've been delighted with the response from the players."

Increasing the number of goals scored from last season's paltry 52 is a priority and the manager is convinced that Christian Benteke, a 32.5 million pounds ($50.15 million) signing from Aston Villa, backed up by Danny Ings and Roberto Firmino, will help achieve that.

"Benteke is the type who fits perfectly for us," Rodgers said.

"He can play the power game and his movement is very clever."

Rodgers also announced that another new signing, James Milner from Manchester City, has been appointed vice-captain to fellow England international Jordan Henderson.

"He is someone I admired from the outside for a long time.

"He’s also got big character and a big mentality, and I felt we needed that in the team."

Rodgers, starting his third season in charge at Anfield, refused to be drawn on the future of maverick striker Mario Balotelli.

Jose Mourinho has committed himself to Premier League champions Chelsea until at least 2019 after signing a new four-year contract as manager, the west London club said on Friday.

The 52-year-old, who had previously been in charge from 2004-2007, rejoined the Stamford Bridge outfit in 2013 and led Chelsea to the league title and League Cup success last season.

"I said when I returned here that I have a special feeling for this club and nothing changed," Mourinho told the club's website (www.chelseafc.com).

"I think this is a normal thing for me to sign a new contract. It is important we have this continuity and I hope we can enjoy more success in the future -- for the fans, the players and the club.

"It is the club closest to my heart and I am very happy to know I will be staying here for a long time."

Mourinho's side won the league twice during his first spell in charge and lifted the FA Cup plus two League Cups before the Portuguese left the club and enjoyed more success at Inter Milan, who won the Champions League in 2010.

Mourinho joined Real Madrid immediately after his European triumph with Inter -- his second Champions League success after winning the trophy with Porto in 2004 -- and won the King's Cup in his first season with the Spanish giants.

Real won their first La Liga title in four years in 2012 but the next season was turbulent as dressing-room divisions with established players, such as keeper Iker Casillas and defender Sergio Ramos, left Mourinho feeling unloved in the capital.

A welcome return to Chelsea soon followed and the London club finished third in the league under Mourinho in the 2013-14 season -- four points behind champions Manchester City.

Chelsea were rampant in their quest for the title last season, however, and won the league with three matches to spare as Mourinho ensured his 69 percent win rate was the best of any manager to have taken charge of 15 or more Premier League games.

"We are very happy that Jose has committed four more years to the club," Chelsea director Marina Granovskaia said.

"Since his arrival two years ago he has carefully developed the playing squad and brought trophies to Stamford Bridge.

"We look forward to the next four years and the continued success of the team."

Chelsea begin the defence of their Premier League title at home to Swansea City on Saturday.

David de Gea has been dropped for Manchester United's game against Tottenham because he has been mentally affected by speculation regarding his future, according to manager Louis van Gaal.

Goalkeeper De Gea has been linked with a move to Real Madrid all summer, but he still remains on United's books going into the new season.

The Spaniard will not play any part in the first game of the new campaign versus Spurs, however, as he is not in the right frame of mind.

''He shall not play,'' the United boss said.

"We have problems with De Gea. I think the human being is more than only the player and I don't think he can manage that.

"It's not easy for De Gea to manage his situation."

United have retained a firm stance on De Gea all summer, insisting he will not be sold to the Spanish giants unless they receive Sergio Ramos in return.

But Van Gaal admitted the situation with De Gea, whose pop star girlfriend lives in Madrid, was not favourable at the end of United's pre-season tour and the Dutchman's latest remarks are bound to increase speculation that the 24-year-old is destined for the Bernabeu.

When asked what he thought the outcome of the De Gea saga would be, Van Gaal said: ''I don't know. That's in process.

''I cannot lead this process. I can only watch and observe and that's what I'm doing, but I'm not participating in it.''

Van Gaal has a number of replacements in his squad for Saturday's game, but none of them are ideal.

Sam Johnstone played all four games of United's pre-season tour, but the 22-year-old is yet to make his competitive debut and spent the majority of last season on loan at League One sides Preston and Doncaster.

Preston were keen on signing Johnstone permanently, but it appears they are planning for life without the 22-year-old after bringing in Jordan Pickford on loan from Sunderland.

Victor Valdes has been frozen out at Old Trafford after Van Gaal claimed the former Barcelona keeper told him he would not play for the Under-21 side last season.

Anders Lindegaard has not played a league game for the club since April 2014 and is therefore unlikely to feature on Saturday.

Sergio Romero may be Argentina's number one but he only signed for the club on July 27 and is yet to turn out in a United shirt.

''You have to wait and see who is starting,'' Van Gaal said, when asked if Romero would play against Spurs.

The build-up to the first game of Van Gaal's second season at the helm has been far from ideal.

As well as the De Gea situation, the Dutchman has had to stomach the sale of star midfielder Angel di Maria this week.

United paid B£59.7million for the Argentinian last summer but less than 12 months later he has left for Paris St Germain.

Di Maria claimed at his unveiling in the French capital on Thursday that United wanted him out of the club, but Van Gaal seems to think otherwise.

''For us that's a big loss,'' Van Gaal said of the former Real Madrid midfielder.

''I want more attackers with speed and creativity. Di Maria is one of those players so we have to look for that kind of player, but they have to have the talent to cope with the English rhythm and that's difficult to find.

''That's why players are not having success in this competition - because of the rhythm of the game and the English culture is another culture to the Latin culture. Maybe that's a reason (he left).''

Although he will not speak publicly on the matter, Van Gaal is expected to sign Barcelona forward Pedro as Di Maria's replacement.

The Belgium international's career has been the subject of uncertainty since Pochettino's appointment as Spurs boss last summer.

He was often left out of Pochettino's first-choice midfield and was widely considered unsuited to the Argentinian's preferred intense, high-pressing style of play, but the Tottenham manager believes the player can be a success at the north London club and is working on inspiring an improvement from him.

''Yes, he's in my plans, Dembele,'' said Pochettino. ''I think we need to try to provide him (with a platform) to show his real quality here. It's true the last season was difficult for him, but (not) only was it difficult for him at Tottenham - with his national team too.

''It's for that reason we need to try to provide him the best position on the pitch or try to find the best position for him, to show the quality that he has.

''We don't have doubts but if he doesn't play, [others believe we have] doubts. I think it is all about football. We need to try stuff to help every player and Mousa is another player we need to help to try to give him the chance of giving his best when he has the facility to play.''

Hugo Lloris will undergo a late fitness test. The goalkeeper only returned from a fractured wrist in midweek during Spurs' 2-0 friendly victory over AC Milan, while striker Roberto Soldado and midfielder Ryan Mason also face late fitness tests.

Winger Andros Townsend remains a doubt and striker Emmanuel Adebayor, who is yet to complete his proposed transfer to Aston Villa, is unlikely to feature.

Defenders Toby Alderweireld, Kevin Wimmer and Kieran Trippier are available to make their debuts.

Eddie Howe has told his Bournemouth players to prove they are good enough for the Premier League in Saturday's season opener with Aston Villa.

The Cherries boss has vowed to stick to the style which delivered the Championship title and promotion to the top flight last term, beginning when his men meet Villa at Dean Court on Saturday.

''We feel the team's ready. Now we've just got to go out and prove that we're good enough,'' Howe said.

''I'm not saying we're going to score 98 goals, but we're certainly going to go at it the same way in terms of how we approach the games.

''We're going to be brave and we're going to try to take games to teams. That's our way, that's what we've become accustomed to, that's what our players expect us to do.

''To veer away from that format I think would be foolish on the back of all the success we've had.

''We know it's going to be tough, we know it's going to be harder, we know there may be some bumps in the road for us. I think we're prepared for that.''

Max Gradel and Lee Tomlin are in line for their Bournemouth debuts in as Howe has nine summer signings to choose from in his squad.

Sylvain Distin, the former Newcastle, Manchester City and Everton defender, is among those who could make his competitive debut.

Meanwhile Villa boss Tim Sherwood has refused to rule out reviving a deal for Emmanuel Adebayor.

The Tottenham striker had been in talks over a loan move with Villa - and been given a tour of their training ground - but the deal has stalled.

Sherwood worked with Adebayor at White Hart Lane and had targeted him to beef up his forward line, despite the arrivals of Jordan Ayew and Rudy Gestede following Christian Benteke's exit.

And the former Spurs boss insisted the deal is not dead for the Togo international.

''If it can be revived and we think it's necessary two parties have got to agree on it. At the moment there's no agreement and he's a Tottenham player,''said Sherwood, ahead of Saturday's trip to Bournemouth.

Sherwood also confirmed he will assess a number of his new signings ahead of the trip to Bournemouth before selecting his side to make sure they are ready for the Barclays Premier League. Defender Jores Okore is out with a knee injury.

Everton boss Roberto Martinez feels the fixture list has been unkind to his side but has stressed the Toffees must get momentum going early in their Barclays Premier League campaign.

Martinez's men have to play each of the clubs that finished in last term's top eight within their first 10 games of the new season.

It looks a daunting schedule, but the Spaniard is eager for Everton to get points on the board.

"Looking at the start of the season, probably the fixture list has not been too kind to us," said Martinez, who wants to make three more new signings before the end of the transfer window.

"But we are going to take it as being able to face a very strong challenge. We need to make sure we are strong enough.

"It is about making sure that as a team we are successful and do a lot better than we did in the league last season.

"I think the experiences of the last campaign will help us immensely."

Last season was a disappointing one in the Premier League for Everton, with them only managing an 11th-placed finish a year on from Martinez having guided them to fifth in his first term in charge.

They also had a Europa League campaign to cope with in the 2014/15 campaign and picked up only six points and one victory from their first seven top flight games.

They finished stronger, winning six of their last 10 fixtures, and Martinez said: "Last season was very unique - playing in Europe and having the good feelings from the season before put us in a position where we wanted to win games straight away, and create a bit of momentum, but we never got it early on.

"We lost too many points, and psychologically it was really tough - being in Europe also had an affect from that point of view.

"But the second half of the season was completely different, and we need to start with that kind of momentum this time, rather than how we started the last campaign."

Asked whether he had set targets for the season, Martinez added: "No. I think the first 10 games will tell us a lot about where we are, and from that point on we will be able to set some."

Everton begin their campaign on Saturday by hosting newly-promoted Watford, who have acquired a new boss in Quique Sanchez Flores - also a Spaniard - and 10 new players over the summer so far.

It remains to be seen how well the group comes together, but Martinez feels the Hornets are a "very dangerous" outfit.

"I would not view Watford as the normal newly-promoted side," he said.

"From the manager to the amount of players they have brought in, with really strong experience at the highest level, this is a new group clearly but straight away you are going to see a team that know what they are trying to do.

Flores believes Watford's multilingual dressing room will play to their advantage this season.

The newly-promoted Hornets boast 22 different nationalities.

Flores, the former Atletico Madrid manager, replaced Slavisa Jokanovic in June and he has spent in excess of £20million in a bid to keep Watford in England's top flight.

Ten of his new recruits this summer have arrived from France, Greece, Holland, Austria, Lithuania, Switzerland and Spain, to form one of the game's most diverse squads.

''I think is advantage for us because when you are training more English players maybe it is difficult to change but now I can change any habits very easily,'' Flores said.

''Sometimes it is strange because when talking in English I can talk in Spanish with Spanish, Ecuadorian and Mexican players so sometimes we mix but it is a funny moment.

''I've never had it before, so many different nationalities, it's the first time but a good experience.''

Watford will be without suspended defender Miguel Britos while new goalkeeper Giedrius Arlauskis is also banned.

Midfielder Almen Abdi is a doubt with a knee injury and a late decision will be taken on Dutch signing Steven Berghuis (leg), but Joel Ekstrand remains sidelined with the cruciate knee injury he sustained in March.

Ranieri will assess new boys N'Golo Kante and Yohan Benalouane before the visit of Sunderland.

The pair joined this week and the Italian needs to check if they are up to speed ahead of the start of the Barclays Premier League season.

Christian Fuchs and Shinji Okazaki are available and could make their debuts against the Black Cats after joining before Ranieri's appointment while captain Wes Morgan is available after playing in Jamaica's Gold Cup campaign.

Sunderland boss **** Advocaat says his summer spending is far from finished as he aims to make his current crop of Black Cats stars fight for their first-team future.

Advocaat has completed five new deals since making his own role at the Stadium of Light permanent at the end of last season, and is eyeing at least two before before the end of the transfer window.

He said: "We have brought in players who improve the squad. Too many players last season were very sure of their position and that is more difficult this season.

"We have brought in five players and Connor Wickham has gone, and we still hope to bring in one or two players more."

Advocaat hopes Steven Fletcher will return to partner Jermain Defoe up front after missing the final friendly against Hannover 96 last week, but Wes Brown is a major doubt.

Captain Russell Martin has turned a blind eye to predictions Norwich will go straight back down from the Barclays Premier League.

The Norfolk club secured a swift return to the top flight after winning the Sky Bet Championship play-off final against Middlesbrough in May, capping a superb run following the appointment of rookie manager Alex Neil in January.

Norwich were able to retain most of the squad who dropped out of the Premier League in 2014 and since promotion have added the likes of Robbie Brady from Hull, Andre Wisdom on loan from Liverpool and former West Brom midfielder Youssouf Mulumbu, although he will miss the start of the season because of a fractured metatarsal.

Scotland defender Martin, who joined in January 2010 and was part of Paul Lambert's side which earned successive promotions up from League One, sees no reason to be anything other than positive about the challenges ahead, with the new campaign kicking off at home to Crystal Palace on Saturday.

"I could not care less [about the predictions], if I am honest. It is someone's opinion and we will see come the end of the season," said Martin.

"A lot of the * commenting have probably not seen much of us play, so we will go and show what we are about to hopefully prove a few people wrong."

Manager Neil is also determined to keep the squad focused on the job in hand.

He said: "I am used to it, the same thing happened to me at Hamilton when I was up there. Eight of out eight

had us finishing last and we were third at Christmas.

"It is people's opinion but ultimately the proof will be what we can manage to achieve.

"We need to make sure we are competitive in every game and get the best you can from the players, which is all you can ask. I am confident if we do get that then we can have a good season."

Wisdom and Brady are included in the squad but full-back Martin Olsson continues to recover from shoulder surgery while forward Kyle Lafferty (knee) is also not yet fit.

Palace boss Alan Pardew does not believe he needs Fabricio Coloccini because he already has Scott Dann.

Pardew is no longer pursuing Newcastle's Coloccini - after a productive summer he no longer expects to add to his squad - and that is partly because he believes that in Dann, who he feels can play for England, Damien Delaney, Brede Hangeland and Adrian Mariappa his defence is sufficiently strong.

Dann was the subject of interest from Everton earlier in the summer and their manager Roberto Martinez may yet revive that interest if Chelsea, as expected, succeed in signing John Stones.

Coloccini is beyond Pardew's reach, however, having extended his Newcastle contract until 2017 with the option of a further season.

"There's been a lot of talk about us bringing in a centre-back but actually my centre-backs were the strength of the team last year," said Pardew.

"There's a lot of criticisms for various things: they can't do this, they can't do that, they're too slow...

"Scott Dann, for me, is an England international and I think he's going to prove that this year.

"My two centre-halves as a pair, I think are very, very good. Damo's [Delaney] leadership qualities and his natural left foot and his height are massive assets for us.

"In terms of the back-up, [we have] Brede Hangeland and Mariappa, who's been absolutely brilliant in the summer, so I never really thought it was a weakness and I haven't really hunted down a centre-half."

Despite his characteristic confidence about Palace's prospects, Pardew also revealed a recognition Norwich represent a difficult opening league fixture and stressed the importance of his team making a strong start to the coming season.

"It's nice to see them back, to see Delia [Smith] and her board back, trying to do it the right way," he said. "[They're] a great, great club.

"They have good players as well and that's the key to any good team."

Palace must decide who will start in goal with a finger injury ruling the long-serving Julian Speroni out so Wales keeper Wayne Hennessey or new signing Alex McCarthy will be given the chance.

Morocco forward Marouane Chamakh is unavailable because of a * injury and will also miss Palace's next fixture against Arsenal but expensive summer signings Yohan Cabaye and Connor Wickham are expected to make their debuts.

Jose Mourinho has made a veiled criticism of Roberto Martinez for the Everton manager's outspoken rebuke of Chelsea for their pursuit of John Stones.

Martinez was unhappy with John Terry's comments in praise of Toffees defender Stones, whom the Premier League champions have pursued this summer and had offers rebuffed.

"I'm not speaking about Everton or Stones. I'm just speaking in general," said Chelsea boss Mourinho, speaking ahead of Saturday's season-opener with Swansea at Stamford Bridge.

"If I could, I would speak with you (the media) once in a month. And there are other people in football who, if they could, they would have a press conference every day. And I don't want to say anything else."

Chelsea have five first-team defenders and Mourinho is keen to recruit more, with a left-back high on the agenda, but he insists he is not preoccupied by the transfer window.

Another concern is up front. Mourinho is uncertain whether Diego Costa will be fit to begin the Blues' title defence after his troublesome * injury flared up once more, forcing the striker out of last Sunday's Community Shield loss to Arsenal.

He also did his summer transfer business early with international forwards Andre Ayew and Eder, France Under-21 defender Franck Tabanou and Sweden goalkeeper Kristoffer Nordfeldt integrated into the Swansea squad at the start of pre-season.

"We've had good preparation time with the group, they've put a lot of hard work in on both the physical and football side of things," Monk said.

"The group were together very early and the new signings were here early as part of our plan.

"It's an advantage because we've had five or six weeks with the whole group while other clubs are still looking to bring in players.

"We got to a good level last year with the expectations of how I want them to work but now it's about improving tactically, physically, technically - and that's what we've been working on.

"We have sat down and shown them how much they have improved and how much they can improve."

Monk has a fully-fit squad to choose from with Ghana forward Ayew is poised to make his debut following his move from Marseille, but fellow summer signings Kristoffer Nordfeldt, Franck Tabanou and Eder could all start on the bench.

Gomis has been troubled by a * injury but the French striker played in Swansea's final pre-season game against Deportivo La Coruna last weekend and reported no reaction.